On a fine but warm and humid Saturday our first outing for 2023 was to Geham National Park.
It is representive of the Blackbutt open forest which existed along the range before clearing for agricultural purposes. The 22ha area contains Blackbutt, Tallow Wood, Grey Gum and some Sydney Blue Gum.
The understorey is progressively being taken over by Lantana and privet.
13 members gathered who divided into two groups each surveying two sides of the park before meeting at the appropriate connecting corner where their sightings were collated for the 500metre survey of the area.
Despite the background provided by the cicadas 27 species were recorded with a juvenile Collared Sparrowhawk being the bird of the day until an Emerald Dove was identified as we walked back to our vehicles.
Morning tea provided by Scot and his family was a great finish to a most enjoyable walk
Bird list for the day:
| Australasian Figbird | Sphecotheres vieilloti |
| Australian Magpie | Gymnorhina tibicen |
| Bar-shouldered Dove | Geopelia humeralis |
| Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike | Coracina novaehollandiae |
| Brown Thornbill | Acanthiza pusilla |
| Brown-capped Emerald-Dove | Chalcophaps longirostris |
| Channel-billed Cuckoo | Scythrops novaehollandiae |
| Cicadabird | Edolisoma tenuirostris |
| Collared Sparrowhawk | Accipiter cirrocephalus |
| Common Bronzewing | Phaps chalcoptera |
| Dollarbird | Eurystomus orientalis |
| Eastern Whipbird | Psophodes olivaceus |
| Eastern Yellow Robin | Eopsaltria australis |
| Golden Whistler | Pachycephala pectoralis |
| Grey Fantail | Rhipidura fuliginosa |
| Grey Shrike-thrush | Colluricincla harmonica |
| Laughing Kookaburra | Dacelo novaeguineae |
| Lewin’s Honeyeater | Meliphaga lewinii |
| Peaceful Dove | Geopelia placida |
| Pied Currawong | Strepera graculina |
| Rainbow Lorikeet | Trichoglossus moluccanus |
| Sacred Kingfisher | Todiramphus sanctus |
| Scarlet Honeyeater | Myzomela sanguinolenta |
| Spotted Pardalote | Pardalotus punctatus |
| Superb Fairy-wren | Malurus cyaneus |
| White-browed Scrubwren | Sericornis frontalis |
| Yellow-faced Honeyeater | Caligavis chrysops |